Customer Reviews

Dark Continent

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bent. Off-kilter. Twisted. But no words can nail Voodoo's odd, dissonance--or its catchy tunes and sinister, cynical view of the world in which every person is a time-clock punching, end of the road loser about to be hammered. This album captures the sick conventionality of modern life--as apropos now as in 1981--and the odd, empty shells that masquerade as living, thinking beings. Every song is great, but I especially like Back In Flesh, Call Box, and Good Times.

If you ever watch a Stan Ridgway-era Wall Of Voodoo gig from the early 80's, you will notice them playing lots of songs not on Call Of The West, but from Dark Continent. Almost every live gig in 1981-1983, including the US Festival, had at least a few of these songs. Songs like "Red Light", "Animal Day", "Call Box", "Me & My Dad", and of course, a huge fan favorite, "Back In Flesh". The early Wall Of Voodoo had something the 1985 Voodoo didn't, and that was a recognizable, distinct, unique sound.

The album opens with an ode to cops and robbers, "Red Light". Marc Moreland's gritty guitar combined with the simple drum machine beat and the creepy synth make for a very enjoyable listening experience. Stan makes the dark statement, "If it's the rough stuff you want/You can point your finger at me", all the while keeping the whole mood of the song intact. Then there's "Two Minutes 'Til Lunch", a song about a day at work gone wrong. Followed by the zany, humorous "Animal Day", which a lot of people think Ridgway wasn't too excited about, but the song was played a lot at live shows. "Full Of Tension" shows us a paranoid Ridgway, with a new wave beat and western guitar riff backing him. "Me & My Dad" is interesting because in the studio version, there is a fast paced drum machine beat followed by a deep voiced, almost depressed Ridgway on the vocals. The synth effect midway through the song is also the same effect used on "Back In Flesh" and the opening to "Mexican Radio". When they played this song live, however, there was a fantastic real drum beat used and a much faster tempo, with Ridgway sounding much more excited and punkish. "Back In Flesh" is next, which is a true gem. The bass line, the amazing guitar, the back and forth banter between Ridgway and keyboardist Chas T. Gray. It is an amazing song. "Tse Tse Fly" was also a huge fan favorite, but the band played probably only a few times live. "Call Box" was at heart a post-punk new wave song, but it's upbeat tempo and fast paced vocals keep the song alive. "This Way Out" is one of my personal favorites. A very dark song, this starts out with a clicking beat followed with a dark synth, strange sounds, and a baby crying. Then a catchy punky bass line begins, and what follows after is classic. "Good Times" is not a favorite of mine. I would say it is the weakest song on the album, because it really doesn't fit. The album ends with "Crack The Bell", which towards the end turns into a loud, intense punk song, which closes the record nicely.

Currently, fans and record people are trying to release this amazing album on CD. I can't wait to see it at the local music store.

Just recently I have discovered that there is more to Wall Of Voodoo than their lone hit "Mexican Radio".

I found this out from seeing their "Call Box" video on VH1 Classic and hearing their remarkable cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire". Since this particular album "Dark Continent" has been long put of print and sells for big bucks on ebay, the only choice I had were to download some of the songs I could find from this album. It's definately some of the most original music I have ever heard, way ahead of it's time. My favorite songs off here have to be Call Box (1-2-3), Red Light, and Back In Flesh.

This is one album that's long overdue in the re-release department. It would be great to see it in stores and be available for purchase at a reasonable price.

This is Wall Of Voodoo's 1st full-length album and their best album. It's in my personal all-time Top 10 list (and I've been listening to ALOT of music over the many years.) Even though their 2nd Lp Call Of The West is more well-known and "critically acclaimed" with the radio hit "Mexican Radio" and has a more lush, sophisticated sound, this predecessor broke new ground in originality and style and still sounds great today. Each song tells a little story and is laden with alot of interesting beats and electronic sounds. Stan Ridgeway's voice is unmistakeable and is a perfect fit for the band. After Call Of The West, Ridgeway & others departed and what was left became just a shell of the original band. I bought the Sammytown Lp when it came out and hated it. I've tried to listen to it several times since then, but it holds no appeal whatsoever for me. The Index Masters CD is good, containing their classic 1st Ep along with many live versions of the songs that appear on Dark Continent.

...unfortunately not from Amazon. I just got a brand-new, legal copy of this great CD from cdbaby.com. They seem to have a distribution deal with Stan Ridgway.

I agree with those who say that fans of Wall of Voodoo and/or Stan Ridgway should pick up this CD, too. While there is no one song that just blows you away, all the songs are good. Other reviewers have covered the highlights, and I don't want to just echo them. This is Wall of Voodoo in their prime. The distinctive sound and attitude are here (big time!), so if you enjoy "Call of the West", you will enjoy "Dark Continent", too.

Chances are if a lot of the more creative and energized stuff from the Eighties was promoted and/or re-released everyone would quickly figure out how much contemporary stuff stinks. This was a hell of an album and the "Ring of Fire" cover was incredible. One of the last times music of the future sounded like music of the future. Write your congressperson.

My first introduction to Wall of Voodoo was with Mexican Radio. I happened to like stuff that was a bit off the wall so when I heard that song, and it was a top 40 hit at the time, it felt like a bit of a guilty pleasure.

It took me a few years to buy the Call of the West LP. At the same time I found this used Dark Continent LP. I would say that Call of the West took about 3 listens before I was completely hooked. Then I started playing Dark Continent and loved it even more. Wall of Voodoo in the Ridgway era was a complete original. No band has ever or will ever sound like them. I also rate Dark Continent as one of my top 10 or all time!

I also love the Seven Days in Sammystown album but anyone interested in locating that recording should be aware going into it that the Prieboy era sounds very different from the Ridgway era. Much less stark sounding and doesn't match Ridgway for superb humor and lyrical content. Still, Sammystown has a much fuller synth sound that has aged very gracefully in my opinion and is very distinctive in its own right.

It's also in my all time top 10 and I've played both recordings to death...and they still receive regular rotation in my CD carousel.

Wall of Voodoo were like no one else. This is great music, but, to the unitiated ear, odd? Thats what made it so great. The creative percussion and vocal style made it seem like art created before your eyes. But man, you could really dance to it and fully let yourself go. ('Call box' sends me dancing in the dark........). 'Animal Day' is a great look from another point of view. They had to tone it down and get commercial for Mexican Radio, but this is the original, undiluated, creative one of a kind Wall of Voodoo. The LA punk scene was an awesome time. You should have been there. This album is one of my best memories of it.

One of my all-time favorite albums ever; more offbeat then Call of the west

If you can get hold of this rather rare album it is worth it. Of course you have to really like this band to fully understand & appreciate the type of music they performed in the 1980's. yes, the follow-up album with "Mexican Radio" was a big seller & is quite common on the second CD release but it toke this first waxing to get the band to that point. So if you like this band, really like them, you have to pick this one up along with the other Stan Ridgeway sung records. Search "Judemac Forever" on msn